Harmy Films’ 2009 Year-in-Review
All I can say is WOW. It was a helluva year:
JANUARY
– Had the first meeting with Jack Sandberg, who would become my makeup effects designer on “The Dead Can’t Dance” and Emily Bonavia, who would coordinate the Wichita Association for the Motion Picture Arts’ film classes.
– I journeyed to Park City, Utah, in support of “The Only Good Indian,” which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. I had a small role in the film and worked on the A.D. crew.
– At Sundance, I almost get knocked over by Ashton Kutcher as he tries to escape papparazzi.
FEBRUARY
– We get a preliminary OK from the Independent School to shoot our interior scenes there for “The Dead Can’t Dance.” A HUGE step.
– On my birthday, I go to my car to find my driver’s side window smashed in.
– I write the course description for “The Guts and Bolts of DIY Filmmaking,” which I will teach for WAMPA in conjunction with the production of “The Dead Can’t Dance.”
MARCH
– More hammering out of prepro stuff: Jack meets with me and we go over supplies that we’ll need, I investigate insurance for the school, etc., and start ordering various things and equipment we will need.
– I get my rejection letter from Tribeca’s All Access Program, a mentoring program that sets up meetings with potential producers and distributors during their festival (it’s my 2nd attempt). They give “The Dead Can’t Dance” a thumbs down, as well.
– I start meeting with Randall, who is interested in drawing storyboards for “TDCD” and he also auditions for the role of Clooney. I offer him the part. He accepts.
– Oaklawn Elementary grants me permission to shoot exterior scenes on their premises. Paperwork is in hand.
— I get a good deal and buy the Panasonic HVX-200 camera for $3,500.
– I bite the bullet and buy the Letus Extreme Lens Adapter for $1,500, only to find that I need a different optimization kit, which is another $400.
– We have our first production meeting on the 24th, with principal cast and crew. Brandon officially accepts 1st A.D. job, and Craig comes on board as 2nd A.D.
– Shawn tells me he won’t be able to do the 9-day shoot at the Independent School scheduled for June, so I start looking for other people. Our friend Lonny says he can’t do it, either.
APRIL
– Shawn and I test the Letus Extreme. Looks fantastic.
– We shoot the first scene with Guy and TJ on the 21st, and it feels great to be in production. But these would only turn out to be test scenes that we have to reshoot.
– Rain causes us to cancel other exterior Oaklawn scenes several times.
– We do my body cast work with plaster to form the prop that will be used when I stab myself in the gut. We meet BJ, who would later become a key member of the crew.
– We do the first round of make-up tests for Wade’s zombie character, Stupid.
MAY
– In a chance meeting that I liken to fate, I run into our buddy Jerod Cantu, who would later come on as Director of Photography.
– Prepro work continues, including a detailed schedule for the 9-day Independent shoot.
– We do head cast work of the Cates Bros., Josh and Zach, and full-on makeup work is in effect.
– People are signing up for the film class. Crazy!
– We have 50-plus people show up for our open call auditions to be zombie extras. Awesome! Fox News comes to a segment on us (thanks, Shawn!)
– My wonderful niece Allie graduates from high school. Monumental.
– Production week nears, and I’m busily preparing. I’m not sleeping at all with anticipation. I’m nervous yet ready. We do a final walk-through of the school before shooting.
JUNE
– I teach two days of classes before we begin production on “The Dead Can’t Dance.” It goes well, and the class seems excited to work on the film.
– Day one of the Independent School shoot on the 9th. Our first day with a big crew, lots of extras and makeup. It goes well, for the most part. The day is long, but … 
– Not as long as day two. We start at 10 a.m. and wrap at 3:30 a.m. It would be just the first of many looooong days, but everyone is a trouper.
– The rest of the Independent shoot is an adventure unto itself, with failing equipment, unruly extras, personnel friction and a certain makeup effects guy completely missing his deadline, forcing us to jiggle our shooting schedule right up until the last minute, but we make it through. 
– The 9-day Independent shoot becomes a 10-day shoot. We finally wrap at the school, strike and clean everything then head to Kelly’s Bar for a mid-wrap party. We’re all ecstatic. We accomplished a huge feat. But it wasn’t over yet.
– We finally get to shoot the “playground showdown” zombie scene at Oaklawn Elementary after rescheduling four times. This time, we rent the entire school so we can have access to the gym and classrooms. But it’s pouring rain on the day we have scheduled. I tell everyone to go and get ready, anyway. Miraculously, the rain finally stops in late afternoon and w
have only 3 hours of light left to get the shot. We do. It’s awesome.
JULY
– Scheduling is turning out to be my biggest headache, and we’re forced to take a brief hiatus.
– Craig does amazing legwork and we finally get the OK to shoot the rendezvous point scene at an abandoned airport in Yoder. 
– At the Yoder shoot, our friend Jeremy brings his paintball team (they’re all Marines). They’re very cool, very game, and ignore the heat and endure the long hours.
– After some rewrites, we shoot the new ending to the movie at the coroner’s office.
– In what felt like a total catastrophe, we are shut down while shooting the opening scenes at a gas station in ugly old Burrton, KS, after some miscommuncation with the owners. Very rude people. But it would later be a blessing because we found an even better location, and I rewrote the scene to include a killer shot with people falling down in the background. It’s one of the coolest shots in the film. But at the time, the Burrton fiasco was a crushing blow.
AUGUST
– It feels like things are falling apart, schedules are shifting madly, some locations are still not locked down and there is still trouble with some makeup stuff. But I try to hold it together.
– We get a great day of shooting exterior road scenes near a rock quarry near Andover. Fanatstic full day (again, we’re fighting the light), and we get some very good stuff.
– We shoot the big zombie/Stupid showdown at Oaklawn. Zach bears 90 degree-plus heat for 5 hours in full head cast makeup. He’s nervous, but does great.
– We have a very fast-paced but fun shoot at Jezebel’s, where the crew is only too happy to see zombie girls in skimpy outfits. It’s a blast, and the scene is very funny. Melodie, you rock.
– We have a rough, looooong night at Sir Christopher’s house near Udall. It’s a very trying night, but made better through the graciousness of Sir Chris and his wonderful family. Really awesome people. After we wrap at 3 a.m., Jerod leaves directly for Kansas City where he has a 6 a.m. call on a video shoot, and Randall gets 2 hours of sleep before going to Worlds of Fun and riding rollercoasters all day. Filmmaking isn’t for wimps.
SEPTEMBER
– Brandon is all too happy to call it a wrap at the Oaklawn Elementary location, a concern since the corn harvest is nearing. But all our scenes are done at Oaklawn. Hallelujah.
– We reshoot the opening scenes at the rest stop near Beaumont, and it’s an incredible day. And the shot that I wanted to work went beautifully, after many takes. Jerod and the extras rocked.
– Had some more (long) days of shooting at Sir Chris’ farm, and getting to know them better is truly a treat. Best thing: Stupid is now wrapped!
– Jerod and I are discovering some problems with the lens adapter. Jerod takes it apart. It gets broken. Dammit.
– We get the last bar exterior scene at Jezebel’s. We’re wrapped there.
OCTOBER
– We have our first post-production meeting, and I’m giddy to be heading into this phase.
– We wrap principal photography on Sunday, Oct. 18., after a day getting road stuff at the beautiful wind farm near Beaumont. Incredible.
– We have a wrap party for the key cast and crew, and I unveil the teaser trailer. Everyone loves it, we have a great time and magical night.
– Immediately after that, I host the Q&A with director Kevin Willmott and star Wes Studi after the opening-night screening of “The Only Good Indian” at the Tallgrass Film Festival. It’s another great night, and many of the crew goes as a group. Free booze at the party!
– Editing begins on “The Dead Can’t Dance.”
NOVEMBER
– We set an ambitious rough-cut deadline goal for ourselves, in hopes of a festival submission, aos I buckle down and pretty much chain myself to my computer editing all night, sleeping very little and still doing my day job.
– We get the final footage we need of the radio announcer part with our friend Archie, who is great.
– I shoot the blood splatter that I want to use and design into the title sequence.
– I work throughout the rest of the month on the film. Thanksgiving comes and goes.
DECEMBER
– Though it almost killed me (not literally), we made our festival rough-cut goal deadline of Dec. 11. I really wanted to make the deadline (which was no easy feat through some last-minute technical problems), because this festival is my favorite. But us and thousands of others are trying to get in.
– I sink into a deep depression that I now blame unyielding stress, too much work and not enough rest. It consumed me, and I began to hate all of it. Scary place to be.
– I feel better after Christmas. Taking a much-needed break from the film, but we watch the rough cut, and it’s taking shape nicely. This is really going to be something special, something we can and will be proud of. And nothing like it has ever been done in Wichita.
So, that’s it. What a crazy, spectacular rollercoaster ride. Here’s to great things in 2010. Happy New Year!
-r.
